I am looking to buy 1 or 2 used sunfish for my lake cottage. Being a long time Laser sailor and Laser Class member, I know that there are certain hulls to avoid when buying. My question is, what should I be looking for when buying a Sunfish keeping in mind that we may want to get into the local district racing and we want a good hull to start with. Thanks for any advise.
Used Boat Buying Advise
- Thread starter richard
- Start date
beldar boathead
Married to Primat Boathead
Welcome! Hope you are able to pick up some boats and start racing Sunfish! I was looking at our FAQs and it looks like we need one on buying a used Sunfish. The following link has some help, and others will chime in too.
http://windline.net/buysf.htm
Here are my quick comments. If you plan to race, you will need the newer plastic daggerboard (longer and more hydrodynamic than the wood ones) and a racing sail ( a bit bigger with more draft than the standard sails.) If you can find a used boat with both of these, that is all the better, although if the racing sail is a few years old it is probably going to need to be replaced anyway. 99% of racing sails are white, and they all have windows. The 1% that are not white are ones from boats used in World Championships and they have colored sails.
As far as hulls go, one thing to know is do not under any circumstances buy one made by Pearson (those were made around 90-92.) Any boat newer than that is a good candidate for you to evaluate. Its also possible to find one from the '80's that could be a good race, but those boats are getting old and likely will be pretty worn unless you get lucky.
Hope that is enough to get started. Others are sure to provide more info. BB
http://windline.net/buysf.htm
Here are my quick comments. If you plan to race, you will need the newer plastic daggerboard (longer and more hydrodynamic than the wood ones) and a racing sail ( a bit bigger with more draft than the standard sails.) If you can find a used boat with both of these, that is all the better, although if the racing sail is a few years old it is probably going to need to be replaced anyway. 99% of racing sails are white, and they all have windows. The 1% that are not white are ones from boats used in World Championships and they have colored sails.
As far as hulls go, one thing to know is do not under any circumstances buy one made by Pearson (those were made around 90-92.) Any boat newer than that is a good candidate for you to evaluate. Its also possible to find one from the '80's that could be a good race, but those boats are getting old and likely will be pretty worn unless you get lucky.
Hope that is enough to get started. Others are sure to provide more info. BB
I recommend weighing the hull, so maybe throw an old bathroom scale or 2 in the trunk of your car for when you peruse candidate boats. 130-135 pounds or so is about right, give or take, but they can vary in weight quite substantially. Try to find a light stiff boat. If you find one, give it a good dunking to determine the degree of water-tightness. I believe the more modern fish are double pressure checked at the factory, but you never know. Good luck.
Smilin_Beard
New Member
My recommendation is that you Google on "how to buy a used Sunfish' or 'Used Sunfish buying guide" You will find a number of articles from 410 words to several pages that go into much greater detail than I can do here. One tip I found helpful, when I was looking, was to check the mast step hole for leaks by pouring in water into the hole and seeing if the level dropped. A leak there is hard to see and even harder to fix. Google and then, good hunting!
There is also a good article at http://www.laserforum.org/know/index.php?title=Buying_a_Used_Laser written about lasers but the principles on the hull, mast step, and price are generally the same.
I have been doing some research on this same subject for similar requirements. From my reading and past experience with Sunfish upkeep, BB’s words of advice and Bradley’s guidance carry good credence.
When I Google "how to buy a used Sunfish” or some variation thereof, aside from a plethora of used boat sellers, I find three solid hits: the Wind Line Sails article, this forum, and the Sunfish Class FAQ, that’s it.
Knowing the kinds of setup and equipment that can be encountered is important for assessing value. Reading the articles and commentary is a good start. I found reviewing the latest manual
( http://www.teamvanguard.com/2007/Boats/Sunfish/Rigging/Sunfish_Rigging.pdf )
and the ISCA one design rules ( http://www.sunfishclass.org/admin/ISCA_Regs/isca_class_rules03012003.htm ) helped immensely to provide first hand knowledge about the way the boat comes set up today and needs to be rigged for sanctioned competition.
My conclusion thus far is, as BB pointed out, any serious thoughts on racing deserves a hard look at boats no older than 15 years. This keeps with the more contemporary parts and design while avoiding some questionable construction and a higher incidence of age related issues. Prices found in this category have been in the $1500 and up range.
Shopping in the under $1500 category does take a discerning eye and more knowledge about surveying the boat’s condition. Like the Laser guide Bradley recommends says, get out and lay your hands on a few boats to get a feel for the difference between well cared for and neglected.
With older Sunfish weight and water tightness becomes a concern. Weighing will tell you about long term neglect, but only an air test like the one described in the LP/Vanguard repair guide will identify the slow leakers. ( http://www.teamvanguard.com/2007/Boats/Sunfish/Rigging/repairs.htm ) This is something you will probably only be able to do thoroughly after you have purchased a boat.
Other problems can show up the farther down the fixer-upper scale you choose to shop.
To familiarize yourself with older Sunfish, a copy of The Sunfish Bible is good reading. It also contains the foundation for sailing and racing strategies today’s leading edge tactics are built on. Should you decide to go the fixer-upper route there is a wealth of illustrated upkeep and repair information to be found at both Wind Line Sails ( http://www.windline.net/how_to.htm ) and the Sunfish Sailors support group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sunfish_sailor )
Hope these resources help you in your Sunfish search.
When I Google "how to buy a used Sunfish” or some variation thereof, aside from a plethora of used boat sellers, I find three solid hits: the Wind Line Sails article, this forum, and the Sunfish Class FAQ, that’s it.
Knowing the kinds of setup and equipment that can be encountered is important for assessing value. Reading the articles and commentary is a good start. I found reviewing the latest manual
( http://www.teamvanguard.com/2007/Boats/Sunfish/Rigging/Sunfish_Rigging.pdf )
and the ISCA one design rules ( http://www.sunfishclass.org/admin/ISCA_Regs/isca_class_rules03012003.htm ) helped immensely to provide first hand knowledge about the way the boat comes set up today and needs to be rigged for sanctioned competition.
My conclusion thus far is, as BB pointed out, any serious thoughts on racing deserves a hard look at boats no older than 15 years. This keeps with the more contemporary parts and design while avoiding some questionable construction and a higher incidence of age related issues. Prices found in this category have been in the $1500 and up range.
Shopping in the under $1500 category does take a discerning eye and more knowledge about surveying the boat’s condition. Like the Laser guide Bradley recommends says, get out and lay your hands on a few boats to get a feel for the difference between well cared for and neglected.
With older Sunfish weight and water tightness becomes a concern. Weighing will tell you about long term neglect, but only an air test like the one described in the LP/Vanguard repair guide will identify the slow leakers. ( http://www.teamvanguard.com/2007/Boats/Sunfish/Rigging/repairs.htm ) This is something you will probably only be able to do thoroughly after you have purchased a boat.
Other problems can show up the farther down the fixer-upper scale you choose to shop.
To familiarize yourself with older Sunfish, a copy of The Sunfish Bible is good reading. It also contains the foundation for sailing and racing strategies today’s leading edge tactics are built on. Should you decide to go the fixer-upper route there is a wealth of illustrated upkeep and repair information to be found at both Wind Line Sails ( http://www.windline.net/how_to.htm ) and the Sunfish Sailors support group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sunfish_sailor )
Hope these resources help you in your Sunfish search.